Whole-home and suite repiping
Repiping means replacing the water supply lines through your home or condo suite rather than patching failures one at a time. In Metro Vancouver, three materials drive nearly every repipe we do: grey Poly-B from 1978–1997, orange and blue Kitec from 1995–2007, and galvanized steel in anything pre-1960.
A typical detached-home repipe runs $8,000–$18,000; a condo suite runs $5,000–$12,000. Below is what decides where you land.
How to tell whether you need one
You probably do if:
You've had two or more leaks in the same system within a couple of years. Pipe failure is rarely a one-off — it's a material reaching the end of its life.
Your home has Poly-B or Kitec and your insurer has asked about it, restricted coverage, or raised your premium.
You have galvanized steel and your water pressure has been dropping for years. The pipes are rusting closed from the inside.
The water runs rusty or discoloured after the taps have been off overnight.
You're renovating anyway and the walls are open. Repiping during a renovation costs a fraction of doing it later.
You probably don't if you've had one isolated leak in an otherwise sound copper system, or your home is under 20 years old with PEX. We'll say so.
The three materials we replace
Poly-B (polybutylene), 1978–1997. Grey flexible plastic pipe, usually with grey or copper crimp fittings. Very widely installed in BC. It becomes brittle over time — chlorine in municipal water degrades it from the inside — and fails without warning, often at fittings. Many insurers now restrict coverage, raise premiums, or decline homes that still have it.
Kitec (PEX-AL-PEX), 1995–2007. Orange and blue pipe with brass fittings, marked *Kitec*, *PlumbBetter*, *IPEX AQUA* or *WarmRite*. Very common in Metro Vancouver condos built in that window. The failure mode is dezincification: the brass fittings corrode from the inside, restricting flow and eventually splitting. It was the subject of a major class action, and strata engineering reports and insurers now flag it routinely — which is why so many Kitec repipes here are strata-driven rather than owner-initiated.
Galvanized steel, pre-1960. Common in pre-war Vancouver houses on the east side and in New Westminster. Rusts internally, closing off the bore. Symptoms are falling pressure and discoloured water.
Send us a photo. Take a picture of the pipe where it comes out of your hot water tank, or under a bathroom sink, and text or email it. We'll identify it for free — no visit, no obligation. 604-865-7979 · [email protected] *(Embedded self-check tool: build year + pipe colour + photo → identification.)*
What we replace it with
PEX is the standard now — flexible, freeze-tolerant, no corrosion, fewer joints and therefore fewer failure points. It's faster to install, which means less wall opened and lower labour cost. Modern PEX is not Poly-B; it's a different polymer with a different failure profile and a long track record.
Copper costs more and takes longer, but some owners prefer it and some strata bylaws or engineering specs require it. We install either, and we'll give you both prices rather than steering you.
What actually happens during a repipe
Day 1 — plan and protect. We map the runs, agree exactly where walls will be opened, and mask floors and furniture. In a condo, this is also when the building shut-off is booked and neighbours are notified.
Day 4–5 — pressure test and inspect. Full system pressure test, then municipal inspection where the permit requires it.
Typical duration: 3–5 days for a detached home, 1–3 days for a condo suite.
What decides your price
- Number of bathrooms and fixtures
- The main driver — more runs, more labour
- One storey or two, crawlspace or slab
- Slab and multi-storey mean more opening up
- Access
- Finished basements and tiled walls cost more than open crawlspaces
- Condo vs house
- Condos need strata approval, building shut-off scheduling, elevator booking
- Drywall repair
- Included or excluded — get this in writing from anyone quoting you
- Permits
- Required in most municipalities; we include them in the quote
Condo and strata repipes
In a tower, a repipe is as much a scheduling problem as a plumbing one. We handle the strata approval submission, book the building shut-off with the property manager, arrange elevator access, work inside the noise bylaw window, and coordinate notices to affected suites.
Buildings sometimes run suite-by-suite programs — the strata approves a specification and owners repipe individually over time — and sometimes a whole-building program. We do both. If your strata is considering either, we'll come and talk to the council. ·
Insurance
Repiping out Poly-B or Kitec frequently changes what your insurer will cover and can reduce your premium. We can't speak for your policy, but we do produce a written completion report with photos and the permit record — which is what your broker will ask for. Ask them with that report in hand rather than before.
What it costs
Detached home $8,000–$18,000 · Condo suite $5,000–$12,000 · Townhouse $6,000–$14,000 Financing available on jobs at this scale. Financing ·
